We are looking for a summer intern or possibly two. We offer a great opportunity to get first hand experience on a small, family owned working farm. Come experience fencing, chicken processing, milking cows, marketing , gardening, and general farm chores. We will be offering hands on classes for the small farm or acreage owner. Contact us through the contact info on this website or by calling 402-685-5263.

Volunteers needed
We have lots of projects to do here at the farm. Come for a little while or spend the entire day.

Types of jobs:

• digging/pulling weeds
• fencing/ set posts/ build gates/repair doors
• building construction/renovation
• general pick up of sticks, debris (lots of this with all the weather we’ve had)
• plumbing
• electrical
• mucking out barns (dirty/heavy work)

Many if not most of the jobs are not suited for young children. However if you are coming for a short time young children might help with picking up sticks and picking stones out of areas where they do not belong.

If you would like to come for just half an hour on a day you are picking up milk let us know ahead of time and we will see if there is a small job for you to do. Likely there will be things like sticks and stones that need picked up.

Thank you all,

Mark and Molly

2/3 c raw honey

2 T vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together.  Freeze according to your ice cream makers directions.  Makes 5 quarts.

1) Give us as much notice as you possibly can.

2) Notify your co-op group scheduler as well as notifying us, again as soon as possible.

3) If you have assigned dates to pick up milk at the farm still on the schedule please make every attempt possible to find someone to fill in for you and notify us and the “scheduler” of the change.

4) If possible stop at the end of a pay cycle.  Your money to us is likely to have already been spent and refunding money is harder on our budget than a reduced budget the following month.

5) Return your empty jars as soon as possible and let us know when all jars are returned.  We will work on any refund after the jars are returned.

6) Please let us know why you are no longer going to be part of the co-op.  We realize sometimes people don’t want to say why, but it really is hard on us not knowing what the reasons are.  We need to know if there is something we need to improve on.  We’d like to know if there are problems on the other end of the route so that we can try to keep them from reoccurring and others possibly quitting.  Sometimes if it is a financial hardship we may have suggestions to help out.  And of course if you are moving we would love to hear where you are headed. Our customers are more than customers; we feel you are each a part of our farm as well as a friend.

We appreciate you allowing us to provide you and your family with healthy food.  If we can ever be of service again we would be happy to have you back.  We hope you will continue to refer people to us.  May God bless you in your new endeavor whatever it may be.

No calves due for awhile yet.  The last three keep us on our toes as they do not want to stay within their fenced area.  They just duck under the fence and take the shock…reminds me of some children I’ve known.

Feb 10, 2010
Three calves were born at Thanksgiving time. Crazy time of year with all the cold and snow we’ve had but they have done wonderfully. They enjoy the outdoors on sunny days. The little girl we named Shirley Temple and the boys are Roy Rogers and Sweetheart. We have 2 more due next week. Then another is due the first of March.

Broiler chicks are due to arrive March 4th and then every week thereafter until August.

Egg production is expected to go up in March as new pullets should begin to lay at that time.

Oct 16, 2009

Our next arrivals should be coming just about Thanksgiving time.  We have 3 cows due then.  Right now our milk production is pretty low but we hope to be ableto add more milk customers as soon as these cows freshen.  There is interest in a group in the Benson area.  If you would like to be a part of that group I think they have room for more.  Let us know and we will get you in touch with someone.

March 25, 2009

The vet was out today to check on our cows.  Of the 7 we had AI’ed (artificially inseminated) 3 are definately pregnant.  Two others appear to be but may not “take”.  Two others are definately not pregnant to the best of our knowledge although both have been AI’ed again recently.  Cows that are expecting are:  Hershey, Snickers and one of the Holstein/Jersey cross.  She really does need a name since she will be with us for a bit longer.

Jan 1, 2009

Tootsie had her calf on Dec 20th.  She had a cute little boy that we have named Klondike.  He will spend the winter inside the barn mostly and is being bottle fed.  He has Dot (calf of Snickers) and Mars (calf of Milky Way) in the barn with him to keep him company and keep him warm. 

Currently we do not know if any of the other cows are pregnant so have no due dates to announce at this time.

Looking around the farm at this time of year is sort of nostalgic. We’ve enjoyed many days of hard work. During the summer we’ve made new friends at farmer’s market as well as through our milk co-ops. Improvements to the farm were made and taken for granted so quickly. Animals have come and gone. So many animals have grown up so much. Our calf, Splenda, has become difficult to pick out when the girls are all out in the field.

Sometimes farming seems like it should be a seasonal occupation. Actually many who purchase from us at the market think of it as just that. But we will be farming all fall and winter too! The milking of the cows is a twice a day job, 365 days out of the year. That was a bit of an adjustment for our girls the first year we had cows at Christmas time! The hens will continue to lay and the collection of eggs actually steps up as the eggs need to be collected before they can freeze so some days that means collecting more than once. We will begin ordering broiler chicks in Feb with them arriving in March. Feed for the chicks will be ordered about that same time. The broiler pens will need repaired this winter. And we will continue to make trips to Omaha to deliver our scrumptious products.

We hope to be able to deliver to the Village Pointe area in west Omaha once a month. We will send a list of what is currently available to anyone who asks for it. Orders will be collected and so long as the orders are large enough to justify the gas we will make delivery on the first Sat of Nov and Dec, then the second Sat in Jan then back to the first Saturdays for Feb, March and April. Send us an e-mail if you would like added to our e-mail reminder list.

This fall we would also be happy to have help with any of our many projects. If you have a little extra time (or a lot) and would like to come experience an hour (or a day) working on the farm give us a call and let us know when you are coming. We have projects like fence repair, weeding, building projects, mucking out barns, splitting wood, and general clean up.

Another item we have to offer this fall/winter season lectures for your organization, office, or family gathering. We can come to talk about our milk co-op, why we farm the way we do, or other related subjects of interest to you. Give us a call to discuss your ideas, pricing, and days available.

Here are our fall suggestions:

• Take walks in the cool air.
• Enjoy the leaves as they change.
• Get out recipe books to look for some new warm dishes.
• Choose one area in your diet to make improvements to.
• Make some butter and freeze. Pats of butter with pretty decorations on top will look great on your holiday table.
• Cook two chickens at once; use one for roasted chicken dinner and the meat from the other for potpie, chicken soup, chicken tacos or a casserole dish.
• Take stock of what is in your freezer. Determine to use up those odd cuts of meat you got when you ordered a side of beef.
• Listen to the quiet.
• Hear the Creator as He talks to you.

May you have a blessed holiday season,

Mark and Molly

The next calf is due in August.

Oh and we have many, many kittens. If you know anyone looking for a kitten have them give us a call.

Mark and Molly

So what is the difference? First of all we have a small herd of jersey cows. The size of our herd allows us time to keep up with the health of each animal. We believe in small farming where individual attention can be given to each animal. Most dairies today are quite large and sick cows may go unnoticed for quite some time. Each of our cows has her own name and personality. They are like pets to us.

Another difference is our cows feed on lush green pasture. There is virtually no grain in their diet and they are not confined to small pens or worse yet a life indoors on cement floors. In the winter time the cows are given hay from our fields and a place indoors if the weather is especially severe. By eating the mix of grasses and other forbs in the field the milk our cows produce is high in vital nutrients like vitamins A and D

And yet another difference is our milk is neither pasteurized nor homogenized. Fresh raw milk without the hormones and antibiotics that are routinely fed to dairy cows is great tasting, safe and healthy. Pasteurization destroys the enzymes in milk, diminishes vitamin content destroying some vitamins, kills beneficial bacteria, and promotes pathogens. When the enzymes in the milk are destroyed through pasteurization the lactase in our bodies is not activated to digest the lactose in the milk. Thus we have lactose intolerance. Homogenization is a process in which the milk is forced through a screen to break down the butterfat globules so they do not rise to the top. Some have claimed this process causes the milk to be a foreign substance our bodies cannot even recognize. Homogenized milk has also been linked to heart disease.

The butterfat of jersey cows is very high. Although the “health industry” promotes low fat milk as being the right choice butterfat contains vitamins A and D which are used by our bodies to assimilate calcium and protein. Without vitamins A and D the calcium and protein in milk may possibly be toxic. Butterfat is made of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which protect against disease and stimulate the immune system. The butterfat is also high in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which has strong cancer fighting properties.
Since that first glass of milk our family has begun a small production dairy. The laws in Nebraska allow for the purchase of raw milk if bought directly from the farm. Since we are a distance from Omaha we have had several groups form to help each other out with the pick up of milk. One of these groups meets at West Omaha Chiropractic Office and Sport Clinic. To find out about this group or one of our others please e-mail us @ mkvam@skyww.net or call us @ 402-685-5263. There are no fees to be part of one of our co-ops and you need not be a member to purchase milk. For more information on the health benefits of raw milk visit www.realmilk.com or read Dr Ron Schmid’s book “The Untold Story of Milk”.

— Molly Kvam

Many of the benefits in grass fed beef are also found in grass based milk. Because the milk is raw (unpasteurized) much of the value of beneficial bacteria is still contained in the milk. Many people who cannot drink pasteurized milk are able to enjoy raw milk.

We have several co-ops sharing the burden of picking up milk. Ask about one in your area.

Click on one of the following recipe categories to see an alphabetical listing under that category. The number of recipes in each category is shown to the right in parentheses. Please feel free to send us your own favorite recipes for us to add to this list, which we expect to grow over time.